Republic Saga - Alliances, Chapter Six
by Noggins
Summary: Lando, Narril and the rebels get to the shield generator while Ackbar launches and attack on Coruscant...


Title: Republic Saga - Alliances, Chapter Six  
  
Author: Jonathan Evans  
  
Author email: noggins@btinternet.com  
  
Summary: Lando, Narril and the rebels get to the shield generator while Ackbar launches and attack on Coruscant...  
  
REPUBLIC SAGA  
ALLIANCES  
CHAPTER SIX  
  
"Sir, would you mind stepping out of the vehicle?"  
The pilot of the air taxi turned his head to see a blaster pointing  
directly at his head and on the end of it, Lando Calrissian. He  
began to look nervous as his shaking hand reached under the glove  
compartment for his own weapon.  
"I really wouldn't recommend that. It'd only be disrupting New  
Republic business."  
  
The alien stopped his hand and stood up. He exited his taxi and  
finally opened his mouth. "New Republic? What New Republic?"  
"You don't know the Galactic Republic was restored two years  
ago?" The pilot shook his head. "Thrawn has been doing a good job.  
Now, if you don't mind, we're kinda rushed. We do have an Empire  
to bring down..."  
"Sure, go ahead. You may need a pilot though. I'm sure I could  
do it just as well as any of you plus I know the planet pretty  
well..."  
  
Lando glanced back at Narril and the Quarren rebel leader. They  
both nodded. "He seems good." Lando turned to their new companion  
and smiled. "Welcome to the family."  
  
The rebels piled in with their blaster and charges ready. Lando  
took the front seat as they took off from the landing platform  
and into the authorised skylanes. "Where are we going?"  
Lando took out the datapad he'd been carrying and showed the  
pilot the map of the shield generators. He pointed one out.  
"I need to get there as quickly as you can do it."  
"I reckon I can do it faster," he replied and flicked a few  
switches. The taxi zoomed forward, swooping in and out of the  
other traffic.  
  
********  
  
Sel'ine Dr'alik ran through the corridors of the Republic  
base on New Naboo heading towards the Jedi Council Chamber.  
Her breathing became heavier as she picked her speed up, the  
head tails swirling around behind her like a cape. She rushed  
around a corner and collided with Evajo Siinit.  
"Hey, slow down!" he said once he got his bearings back. "Where  
you going so fast?"  
"I have to tell the Council - Admiral Ackbar is about to lead  
the fleet to Coruscant!"  
"What?! We haven't heard word from the teams there yet!"  
  
Sel'ine shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he just heard and  
hasn't made the statement yet, but..." the was a pause.  
Evajo looked her in the eyes with an unworded question.  
"... I sense that isn't the case as do you, no doubt."  
Her friend nodded. "Yeah. I don't trust that Calamari as  
far as I could throw him."  
  
"We have to remain objective, Evajo. It is for the Council  
to make these decisions."  
"But we know they never will unless Mon Mothma makes a move  
against them. That's what happened with Palpatine and that's  
what'll happen now if we don't do something." He felt the blue  
hand touch his cheek kindly. His frustration subsided as he  
listened to what Sel'ine had to say. "Don't do anything you  
may regret, my friend."  
  
He nodded and let her continue her journey to the Council  
before turning his attention to the direction she had come  
from - Mon Mothma's office.  
  
********  
  
Anakin, Leia and Keylar sat on an outcropping half way up the  
huge shaft leading to the top of Thrawn's throne-building.  
Leia looked down at the seemingly bottomless pit which, if they  
hadn't climbed it themselves could easily have been. "The  
Force has brought us far."  
"There's still a long way to go..." he father replied. Suddenly  
a bleeping sound came from his utility belt. His hand moved down  
to take out a communicator seconds before the sound began. "Skywalker  
here."  
  
Lando's voice was heard on the other side. "This is Calrissian.  
We've have had a few problems but we're headed towards another  
shield generator. I'll explain when this whole thing's over  
with!"  
"Glad to hear it. But what's wrong?"  
"Nothing... yet."  
"Strange. I sense something... I don't know..."  
  
A blast appeared from nowhere and blew the communicator from  
Anakin's hand. He looked up and saw a shadow disappear through  
a doorway six levels up. The bridge across had been taken  
away. He could reach this if he could just focus his powers...  
  
Leia's hand rested on her father's. "I know what to do. I did  
it with Luke when he rescued me from the Death Star. Have you got  
a rope?" Anakin nodded and took the wire from his belt. Leia swung  
it upwards and, with some Force guidance it hooked onto the controls.  
"You want to go first, father?" she asked with a smile.  
"If you insist."  
  
The elder Skywalker grasped the wire and swung across the distance  
before hitting the wall and launched himself upwards with all  
the strength his legs had. He reached the doorway their attacker  
had entered before dropping the wire down and entering.  
  
His eyes slowly began to adjust to the darkness as the blast  
door behind him slammed shut. He whipped around. Something  
went through the door just after he entered. Something...  
familiar.  
  
"I wouldn't bother with that," a female voice ahead of him  
said. "They're behind dealt with." A lightsaber activated  
and its beam shone on the face of Mara Jade. Anakin reached  
for his own weapon and ignited the blade. "But right now  
its you I want?"  
  
She lurched forward with an attack that Anakin easily deflected.  
She struck again but his blade blocked the path to his head  
and pushed her back. "You've changed your tune. Last time we  
met you were trying to find my daughter."  
"My target has changed."  
"Yet you seemed so determined."  
  
Mara lauched into another frenzied attacked, raining blows  
from both above and below all of which Skywalker detected  
and blocked. She became more and more erratic as her  
speed increase. The harsh clashing sound filled the dark  
room so that nothing else could be heard.  
  
Anakin jumped back and held his hand out. The red blade of  
Mar'a weapon went back into the hilt. She looked carefully  
and tried to reactivate it but to no avail. Her eyes  
turned to the Jedi. "What have you done?"  
"I've turned it off. You could have someone's eye out with  
that."  
"I must kill you!"  
  
She jumped at him, trying to claw at his face but he pushed  
her aside with the Force. She landed on her feet and turned  
around. "How... how can you do this?"  
"The Force is strong with me but you're anger and frustration  
weaken you also. You do not want to do this. My death mean  
nothing to you. You have a task which you must fulfil."  
"You don't know anything about me!"  
"I know that, but your emotions reveal so much, Mara Jade,"  
Anakin said calmly. "You're heart is in conflict with your  
mind. Fell, don't think. Use you're instincts."  
  
Mara began to breath heavily, her anger starting to build.  
"What if my instincts tell me to kill your child?"  
"Then I will stop you. But that is not what they are telling  
you. You must learn to close your mind and let the Force  
speak to you. Then, only then, will you learn about your destiny."  
"I have no destiny!" Mara said, using Anakin's distraction  
as an opportunity to get control of her lightsaber. The blade  
emerged once more and she ran at Anakin. He reached for  
his own but it dropped to the floor forcing him to raise  
his arm in the path of the blade.  
  
********  
  
Leia side stepped out of the way as the huge Sith Lord came  
bounding down at her. He ignited one end of his lightsaber  
and grinned, showing his rotting teeth. The Jedi princess  
noticed the wires and cybernetic parts that were holding  
him together. She was brought back to the present when  
the blade came towards her face. She moved away in time.  
  
"Prepare to die Jedi!" he hissed as he lauched an attack  
on Leia who ignited her weapon and blocked him in time.  
He was fast and strong and could easily beat her but she  
had one advantage - he was closest to the edge of the  
shaft. She tried to push him down with the Force but he  
blocked every attempt.  
"Your thoughts betray you. I knew what you were planning.  
You are weak, Skywalker but in time the hate will make  
you strong."  
"What hate?"  
"The hate you will feel upon the death of your father  
which is taking place right now."  
  
Maul motioned towards the closed doors. Leia looked up  
and felt pain coming from them. Something was happening  
in there. Something bad. She hacked at Maul's head but  
he intercepted and put his saber up in time. He kicked  
at her and she stepped back, stumbling at the edge of  
the metallic canyon. Using the Force she managed to  
regain balance but the Sith moved his hand slightly  
giving Leia the feeling of being prodded back until  
she lost all control and slipped down, grabbing the top  
rung of the ladder in time.  
"It's such a shame I'm not meant to kill you," Maul  
smirked. "It would be such fun."  
  
"I know what'd be fun too!" a voice behind him called.  
The Dark Lord turned around to receive a blast in  
the shoulder, the force of which sent him staggering  
back. "Mandalore!" he frowned as he rushed at Keylar  
with his lightsaber ready. Leia flipped back up to  
the platform and landed in front of him, knocking his  
blade away. "It's not a good idea to underestimate a  
Jedi but looking at the little war wound down there I  
think you already know that."  
  
Maul remembered the feel of the Jedi apprentice's weapon  
going through his flesh as if it were paper and his  
anger grew. This foolish girl would not hurt him  
as easily as she thought. He brought his saber down  
onto hers and they engaged in a deadly dance once  
more, this time with Leia in command of the situation.  
"Your anger has made you weak. You obviously lied to me  
about its power," she mocked him as she increased the  
pace of her attack. "The Dark Side is like a shadow  
to a real being. It is flat and disappears while  
the tangible exists forever."  
"The Sith will always be there and when we re-emerge  
from the ashes of the old we will lay the Jedi to waste."  
  
Maul stepped back and disappeared down the shaft with  
a laugh. Leia turned to the ambassador. "Something  
tells me we'll be seeing him again soon," she muttered.  
"No doubt," was the reply. "But I think we should see  
to your father."  
"I agree."  
  
Leia launched herself upwards and grabbed onto the door  
controls. She dangled above the huge hole and began to  
press the buttons to extend the bridge which slowly  
moved from one side to the other. She climbed onto it and  
threw the rope down to Keylar. All the while she heard  
the clashes of lightsabers inside then... silence.  
  
********  
  
The air taxi came to a stop on the unguarded shield  
generator. The rebels jumped out with their explosive  
charges ready and attached them around the power  
lines. Lando watched the progress while talking to  
the taxi driver. The alien had been force into this  
occupation when the Empire took over his lucrative  
trading business upon the collapse of the Commerce  
Guild years previously.  
  
Narril came to his brother with the good news. "The  
charges are in place. They'll be detonated on your request."  
Lando observed them all and smiled. "All of you get in here  
and we'll get out of the range of the explosion!" They all  
obeyed amd jumped back into the taxi. Lando spoke to  
the driver again. "Take us to the top of that building  
over there," he pointed.  
  
They took off once more and just as they were safely  
away Lando pressed the detonator. The explosions ripped  
around the generator in a perfect circle at the charges  
had been placed and the generator was soon weakened,  
its huge structure beginning to fall down onto the Imperial  
barracks next to it. The taxi gave a victory spin as the  
rebels held onto their seats and eventually came to a  
standstill on a public docking platform.  
"Not a bad bit of work," the Quarren rebel observed and  
the two Calrissians nodded.  
  
********  
  
"Take us out of hyperspace!" Admiral Ackbar ordered and  
the Republic fleet began to slow down within distance of  
Coruscant. A nearby cruiser noticed them and sent a  
legion of TIE-Fighters to intercept. "Launch Rogue  
Squadren," the Calamari told Wedge Antilles over the  
intercom.  
  
"You heard the man!" the hotshot pilot told his crew  
in the docking bay of Home One. "Let 'em rip!"  
Twenty X-wings flew out and a TIE was ripped to  
pieces by laser fire within seconds, its cockpit  
erupting in flame and sending the pilot into the reaches  
of space where he was killed by the wing that flew  
off its hinges.  
"Woagh! That got him!" Rogue Seven shouted.  
"Keep your concentration," Wedge ordered. We have to  
give the fleet time to get closer to the planet!"  
"Yessir, boss man!"  
  
Red Seven took on two TIEs, chasing them with all four  
guns blazing. The first was hit and it rolled through  
space into the second and soon they both collided with  
explosive results. His companion in Red Two took  
out another with little or no trouble as the huge,  
imposing structure of Home One flew passed towards  
Coruscant.  
  
Admiral Ackbar checked the computer. "The security  
shield is still up. We haven't much time. If we're  
detected before the attack begins a fleet of Star  
Destroyers will be brought in soon."  
"Wait, sir!" a Zabrak lieutenant called out. "I'm  
detecting fluctuations in the field matrix. There's  
something happening..."  
"Is it coming down?"  
"There's an overload on a generator in sector XX-321.  
The shield is deactivating!"  
"Lauch the attack!"  
  
********  
  
With amazing manipulation of the Force Anakin stopped  
the blade with his arm but soon the heat was spreading.  
Mara pushed down harder and he knew he would not keep  
this up. Blisters started to appear on his forearm  
which burst soon after formation and reappeared again  
within seconds. He called his lightsaber to his hand  
and, with one huge force, pushed Mara Jade back and  
ignited it.  
  
"How... how did you do that?" she asked.  
"The mysteries of the Force are not to be questioned,  
only thanked. Now... kill me. Prove that you will  
do as Thrawn has commanded you. Give in to him and  
make yourself forever his slave." He turned his weapon  
off and tossed it back on the floor where he had only  
just retrieved it. "Strike me down and prove that all  
you are destined for is the Dark Side."  
  
The Emperor's Hand held the blade to Anakin's throat  
and was ready to plunge it through him. He closed  
his eyes and waited for her reaction. For her to  
give in or to accept salvation. If only he could  
see the future as he once did and would soon be  
able to again.  
  
The sound of the doors opening could be heard and  
light spread through the room once more. Leia and  
Keylar arrived in time to save Skywalker but it  
seemed none was needed. Mara turned off her weapon  
and put it back at her side. "You have been spared  
now and I may suffer Thrawn's vengeance for this but  
only because you are not my target." She stepped back  
into the darkness and seemed to disappear. Leia ran to  
her father. "Are you alright."  
"I'm more than alright, my daughter. I have aided a  
misguided soul in its first steps on a long hard journey  
back to the ways of the Force."  
"What do you mean?"  
"In time you will know. Now come. We have to deal with  
our would-be Emperor before it's too late."  
  
********  
  
Lando surveyed the damage with macrobinoculars. The  
Imperial base had been ripped in half by the falling  
shield generator and its once proud frame was now  
rubble. He smiled. "Have they begun their attack yet?"  
Narril asked. Lando turned his attention to the  
skies and changed the frequency of the binoculars that  
they could penetrate the harsh atmoshpere.  
  
The fuzzy image soon turned into several specks that  
were coming closer to the planet. Bolts seemed to flash  
in between some indicating a battle going on above them.  
He put the viewers back at his side, just below his  
blaster and nodded. "They've arrived. I recommend we  
get moving before they open fire on the planet. A  
shuttle should be sent down at sector GC-768 and I  
don't particularly want to miss it."  
"What about the Jedi?" the Quarren asked.  
"They are remaining behind to deal with Thrawn. I  
know Jedi well and they'll do fine."  
"Glad to hear it. Come on!"  
  
As they were about to re-enter the taxi a doorway  
leading onto the roof they were situated on burst  
open. The sea of crimson emerged and were quickly  
identified as the Emperor's Royal Guard. They pressed  
a button on their staffs and a two foot long  
razor sharp blade came from the end. The rebels looked  
at them then at each other and frowned.  
  
********  
  
A TIE Fighter headed towards the bridge of Home One  
on an intentional collision course when an X-wing swooped  
down in time to destroy it with a well placed proton torpedo.  
"You're all clear Home One!" Wedge called.  
  
"Thank you Rogue Leader," Ackbar noted as he turned to  
a human manning the docking controls. "Lauch the rescue  
shuttle immediately!"  
"Yes admiral!" was the reply as several buttons were  
pressed opening the air lock on the bottom of the  
Calamari cruiser. A shuttle exited with its pilots heading  
towards Coruscant. The X-wings gave it time to get through  
by destroying all of the enemy craft heading towards it.  
  
********  
  
On board the shuttle the two pilots watched the events  
unfolding outside and were obviously nervous. A stray shot  
hit them and the whole vessel shuddered. They glanced at  
each other worriedly but once the shaking stopped they  
began to calm.  
"That was a close one."  
"Damn right. We're nearing the shield perimeter. All scopes  
indicate its down. Looks like we're clear."  
  
********  
  
Ackbar looked at the command screen on the side of his  
chair. His eyes bulged with horror as he noticed energy  
fluctuations around the planet. He turned to the communication  
officer. "Tell the shuttle to increase speed!"  
"Sir?"  
"Tell them to..."  
There was a huge explosion as the shuttle was ripped in two,  
the front half heading towards Coruscant while the engines  
remained outside the atmosphere, cut clean in half by  
the new force-field which surrounded the planet.  
  
The admiral turned to one of the other bridge crew with  
a look of disbelief. He couldn't say anything but it was  
obvious what question was on his mind.  
"They had a secondary procedure that we didn't know about.  
It was activated just as the shuttle entered the perimeter.  
It's like the Imps knew we were coming..."  
"Can you get a communication to General Calrissian?"  
The officer shook his head.  
"If they don't know what's happening they can't get to  
the source of the problem."  
"And if they don't do that we're stuck here!"  
  
Ackbar pressed a button and his seat moved higher above  
the crew members as he bellowed further orders. "Retreat!  
All ships retreat!"  
  
It was too late. With a flash twenty Star Destroyers  
emerged from hyperspace and launched their fighters on  
the unwitting Republic.  
"It's a trap!"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED..........  
  



End file.
